Maui judicial conference questioned

6/20/12 3:26 PM EDT

The tussle between two Republican senators and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over the cost of a judicial conference in Maui is showing no sign of abating, with the senators calling circuit officials “defiantly unapologetic.”

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — the ranking members of the Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee, respectively — say taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for the conference, which they say could cost upwards of $1 million. But in a letter last week, the court defended the August conference, saying it provides valuable training to judges and other court employees and that it adheres to rules on judicial expenditures.

“We will closely review the letter, but it appears Circuit officials remain defiantly unapologetic about the conference’s scale, location, and itinerary in our current hour of financial crisis,” Grassley and Sessions said this week in a press release. “They show no indication of changing their financial behavior in the future.”

The issue first arose when the senators wrote a letter on May 18 to the Chief Judge Alex Kozinski arguing the gathering is “inconsistent with” the goal of cutting judiciary expenses.

The Ninth Circuit responded by the senators’ July 15 deadline with a 21-page letter defending the conference.

“The Conference is cost efficient and a productive investment into the administration of justice in the western states,” the letter stated.

Hawaii’s senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, both Democrats, joined the feud on May 22 in defense of the court.

“The Ninth Circuit is by far the largest in the nation and includes the state of Hawaii and it is the practice of every appeals court to hold their annual conference in a city within their jurisdiction,” Inouye said in a statement. “This conference is no different. I resent the implication that no serious discussion can take place in Hawaii.”